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(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for the rapid measurement of an enzymatic activity in a solid feed, comprising (i) a container designed to contain the test sample, (ii) a reagent specific for the enzyme whose activity it is desired to measure, and (iii) a buffer for dissolving the enzyme.
The feed is preferably a solid feed which is not treated prior to the measurement.
(2) Description of Related Art
Feeds intended for husbandry animals are usually supplemented with enzymes whose role is mainly to improve the digestibility of the feed ration. These enzymes are usually sprayed in liquid from onto the feeds, in particular as described in patent EP 0,789,291. The enzymes can also be added in powder form to the feed.
Two problems thus arise, the first being to check the uniformity of distribution of the enzymes added to the feed, the second being to quickly and easily evaluate the activity of the enzyme(s) added to the feeds. These problems are raised in particular by feed manufactures and breeders wishing to check the quality of the feeds they want to give to their animals. Until now, the enzymatic activity could be measured in the laboratory, thus entailing constraints in terms of logistics and delays, these constraints being a real hindrance when an immediate result is needed.
The present invention satisfies this problem by providing a device for measuring the enzymatic activity of any enzyme-enriched feed intended for animal feed. This device, whose measurement is based on a colorimetric reaction, allows both a qualitative measurement of the enzymatic activity of the test sample and a semi-quantitative measurement of this sample.